Abstract:
The effect of human impacts on fish physiology was investigated by determining whether environmental pollutants impacted upon physiological functioning of the neuromuscular system thereby potentially compromising fish health and viability. Samples of brain and muscle tissue was taken from the Antarctic fish Trematomus bernacchii collected at different localities with different levels of pollutants including Winterquarters Bay (McMurdo Station), Cape Armitage (Scott Base Station), Cape Roberts (Victoria Land Coast) and Backdoor Bay (Cape Royds, Ross Island). The relative activities of the enzyme acelylcholinesterase in each sample was compared between sites.